Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ninove and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,106 in Ninove, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Ninove
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Ninove Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ninove

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,106

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ninove and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ninove and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,106 per month in Ninove vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ninove $2,106
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,141 per month in Ninove vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ninove $3,141
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,177 per month in Ninove vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ninove $4,177
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ninove costs about 125% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ninove sits 55% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.57 €21.17

$2.24 ฿75.7

952.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.0 €87.1

$19.00 ฿642

410.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.57 €12.19

$5.55 ฿188

144.50%

Cappuccino

$4.24 €3.81

$1.67 ฿56.6

153.89%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.69

$0.64 ฿21.56

368.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.65

$0.31 ฿10.32

851.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.61 €5.04

$2.36 ฿79.6

137.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 €5.40

$3.66 ฿124

64.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.95 ฿65.8

-30.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.44 ฿48.51

43.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €2.01

$1.33 ฿45.07

67.67%

Eggs

$3.84 €3.45

$2.28 ฿77.1

68.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.34 €14.67

$16.45 ฿556

-0.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.85 €10.64

$2.78 ฿94.0

326.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.27 €18.21

$9.31 ฿314

117.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.44

$2.35 ฿79.5

15.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.24

$0.97 ฿32.82

156.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 €2.35

$1.60 ฿53.9

63.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 €3.07

$1.50 ฿50.7

127.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.28 ฿43.15

80.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 €1.61

$1.10 ฿37.22

62.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.71 ฿23.84

109.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.01

$0.49 ฿16.38

128.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.96 €11.64

$4.14 ฿140

213.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.68 €7.80

$17.52 ฿592

-50.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.61 ฿54.5

-12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$2.78 ฿94.0

-25.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 €2.81

$0.87 ฿29.33

258.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 €45.17

$54.1 ฿1,827

-7.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 €5.11

$1.16 ฿39.08

390.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 €2.45

$0.53 ฿17.82

413.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.18 €39.68

$2.42 ฿81.8

1725.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.45 ฿48.93

20.69%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.0K €31.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

66.03%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$37.4K €33.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

38.79%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$198 €178

$62.2 ฿2,100

218.26%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.32 €20.05

$12.17 ฿411

83.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.99 €43.11

$20.12 ฿680

138.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.56 €32.84

$37.31 ฿1,260

-2.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.33 €17.36

$3.77 ฿127

412.73%

Cinema Ticket

$13.39 €12.03

$6.49 ฿219

106.32%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$790 €710

$736 ฿24.9K

7.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.9K €29.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

122.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 €70.3

$53.4 ฿1,802

46.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.9 €48.40

$24.64 ฿832

118.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €96.2

$91.5 ฿3,089

17.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$180 €162

$71.9 ฿2,429

150.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 €837

$482 ฿16.3K

93.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$817 €734

$309 ฿10.4K

164.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 €1,263

$1,006 ฿34.0K

39.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 €1,041

$633 ฿21.4K

82.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,253 €3,821

$2,363 ฿79.8K

79.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,110 €2,794

$1,589 ฿53.7K

95.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

5.57

-36.62%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ninove: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ninove

$817 38.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 62.2% $509

Eating Out

Ninove

$344 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 77.5% $266

Groceries & Markets

Ninove

$342 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 31.5% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ninove

$268 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.8% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Ninove

$189 9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 42.4% $80

Getting Around

Ninove

$82 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 25.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Ninove

$63 3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 20.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $932 in Ninove versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97 in Ninove versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Ninove

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

03:37 3:37 AM

6 h ahead of Ninove

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,795

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ninove Chiang Mai 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ninove
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ninove vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ninove costs about 125% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,159 per month in Ninove and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $932 in Ninove.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Ninove and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Ninove, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,106 in Ninove and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.